Thursday, 14 February 2013

Baandee Lake

The southern part of Western Australia is riddled with salt lakes, most of which are dry. Every now and then after a big rain event they fill and then slowly evaporate. Baandee Lake is a salt lake that recently filled after the surrounding area copped rain from the tail end of a cyclone. It's now full to brimming as a wall was created to stop the water flowing out. Over the years it has been used for recreational skiing and swimming and that's just what has been happening over the last month or so.

My brother took me to the lake on Sunday afternoon for a dip. There were three boats pulling skis and one jet ski. My nephew is learning to ski and he is now hooked on the sport. Here are some photos from our late afternoon swim.

Jessie the Kelpie sheep dog towing my brother into shore. She loves the water and her tail makes a good rope, apparently.

Facing an easterly direction.

Here are some facts about Baandee Lake kindly supplied by my brother.

Area: 214ha (528 acres)

Circumference 5.475km

Across: 1.48km East – west

Across: 3.5km North – south.

Source: Google images. This seems to be quite an old aerial photo. The dark circle at the middle of the photo is Baandee Lake and you can see how the wall has held the water in and stopped it flowing into the second lake.

I enjoyed my swim in the lake, very nice after a day time temperature in the high 30'sC.

Mum and I are off to Perth tomorrow for a couple of days as Mum has an appointment. We popped Dad into hospital today for a few days while we are away so he can be taken care of. There is no way he is well enough to make the three hour car journey and follow two women around for a couple of days.

Back in a few days.

Anne xx

P.S. An update on the cows. My brother sent me a text this morning to say Zoe, one of his best milkers had just given birth to a bully calf.